Sunday, 11 September 2011

My Favourite Flower from the Cutting Patch

My cutting patch this year hasn't been as floriferous as usual, mainly down to the appalling weather we have had this year. That said, the Zinnias have been amazing. I planted two dozen grown from seed, and although they were slow to start, have been producing flowers since early summer, and they are still going strong.

I shall definitely be growing them next year, all these flowers from a packet of seed , how could I resist.

Your zinnias are just so pretty on the window sill. I am still kicking myself for not getting more planted this summer, but we had such a wet spring that it was hard to get out and work. I planted a few.They are real crowd pleasers, and here they drop their seeds and will come up volunteer the next year. They are such hardy performers: they bloom until the frost and host a plethora of insects, including butterflies and even humming birds. Did you start yours from seed inside and then transplant or did you sew directly in the ground? I always sew mine directly in the ground.

Hi Ann - I very rarely sow direct as they usually get attacked by slugs - it gives plants a better chance of surviving if I sow them in the greenhouse then plant out as sturdy plants. I have never left them to see if they re-seed, but I expect they may in a mild winter.

About Me

I am a day dreamer and romantic. I like to write stories and poetry, read a good book, and tend my garden. I live deep in the heart of the countryside and love being surrounded by all that nature has to offer. My camera and journal are never far from my side as I try to record each and every moment of what is important to me.

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The mind I love must have wild places, a tangled orchard where dark damsons drop in the heavy grass, an overgrown little wood ... a pool that nobody's fathomed the depth of, and paths threaded with flowers planted by the mind. ~ Katherine Mansfield